The process of converting pictures, sound, or information into a form that a computer can easily read is digitization. Before the digitization of music, people listened to their favorite songs using record players.
In order to interpret information, a computer needs that information to take a particular form — specifically, binary code, which represents data using only the digits 1 and 0. Converting analog information (like a photograph or words on the pages of a book) into this digital form is digitization. This process is necessary in order for you to read your favorite book on an e-reader or to watch your parents' old home movies on a laptop.